This easy pasta salad recipe is so flavorful thanks to fresh veggies, herbs, mozzarella, and the simplest peppy homemade dressing.
We’ve made this recipe so many times I’ve lost count. You can make it in under 20 minutes, and it gets better over time, making this a perfect make-ahead side dish for cookouts, potlucks, picnics, and summer get-togethers.
We love the vinaigrette-style pasta salad dressing so much! It’s perfectly peppy, zesty, and so simple! There’s no mayo, but if you want a creamier salad, we’ve got you covered with this creamy macaroni salad.
Key Ingredients
- Pasta: The best pasta for this salad recipe is a shape with lots of nooks and crannies to trap the dressing and bits of cheese—think penne, fusilli, rotini, or farfalle (bow tie). We also love orzo (used in our lemon orzo pasta salad) or pearl couscous (used in our easy couscous salad).
- Veggies: A variety of vegetables add color, flavor, and crunch. We love cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, zucchini (trust us), and green onions, which are milder than regular onions.
- Cheese: Our family loves fresh mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Since the parmesan is shredded, it almost melts into the dressing (just like in our homemade Italian dressing). For a vegan pasta salad, simply leave the cheese out.
- Olives: We both love the briny bite from olives. Use Kalamata, green olives, or a combination of the two if you have them on hand.
- Pepperoncini: We love these in this salad, and highly recommend adding a splash of the jar’s brine to the dressing.
- Fresh herbs: We use basil and parsley in the video, but experiment to see what you love.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make the Best Pasta Salad
In the time it takes you to cook the pasta, you can prep everything else. Here’s a quick overview:
- Boil the pasta, rinse, and drain.
- Make the dressing in a large bowl, then add the drained (still warm) cooked pasta.
- Pile in the veggies, olives, and cheese.
Our Secrets for Perfect Pasta Salad
Tip 1: Rinse the cooked pasta. We rarely suggest rinsing cooked pasta, but for this cold pasta salad, it is essential. Rinsing under cold water removes the excess starch clinging to the noodles. If you have ever had a clingy, sticky pasta salad, this step fixes it. We do the exact same thing when making creamy pasta salad.
Tip 2: Make the dressing and salad in one bowl. We are always looking for ways to cut down on dishes. Make the pasta salad dressing right in the bowl you plan to toss and serve it in. Mix the dressing, add the rinsed pasta, and then fold in your remaining ingredients.
Tip 3: Let the salad sit for a bit. Pasta salad gets better over time. Let the pasta and veggies sit in the dressing for at least ½ hour before serving so the flavors can meld. We take the exact same approach when making homemade potato salad (I promise, it makes a big difference).
The Best Pasta Salad Dressing
Sometimes the best also means the simplest. We love this vinaigrette so much that we use it on our easy bean salad, too. The base recipe requires just five ingredients:
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Dried Oregano
- Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Optional, but recommended: If you decide to add pepperoncini to the salad, add a splash of the jar’s brine directly to the dressing. It adds a little extra spice that we love (we use this same trick in our Greek pasta salad with feta cheese).
What to Serve with Pasta Salad
Here are a few of our favorite ways to serve it (the options really are endless!). For summer cookouts, it is the perfect pairing for hamburgers, turkey burgers, slow-cooker pulled pork, or baked ribs. It also looks beautiful on a potluck spread next to other make-ahead sides like our no-mayo potato salad, easy corn salad, broccoli slaw, or our favorite watermelon salad.
It isn’t just for parties, though! For a quick lunch, try serving a scoop alongside hearty options like our smashed chickpea salad, tuna salad, shrimp salad, or our best chicken salad. It also rounds out a simple weeknight dinner perfectly. We love pairing it with brown sugar baked salmon, ginger marinated grilled shrimp, or these baked lemon chicken breasts.
More Pasta Salads
Quick and Easy Pasta Salad
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
This easy pasta salad recipe is incredibly flexible, depending on the season and the ingredients you have in your kitchen. Use a hearty pasta shape with plenty of nooks and crannies—like rotini or penne—to hold onto the dressing. The pepperoncini peppers are optional, but delicious if you have them on hand. We also love adding fresh mozzarella balls and parmesan cheese (the parm almost melts into the vinaigrette).
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
For the Pasta Salad1 pound dried pasta like fusilli, penne, rotini or farfalle
1 cup sliced bell pepper (1 medium)
1 cup thinly sliced zucchini (½ medium)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
⅓ cup thinly sliced green onions (5 to 6 green onions)
¼ cup sliced pepperoncini or banana peppers (optional)
1 cup (4 ounces) olives, halved (try a mix of Kalamata and green olives)
1 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan or other hard cheese
1 cup (6 ounces) fresh mozzarella balls, chopped
⅓ cup fresh parsley or basil, chopped
For the Homemade Dressing⅓ cup (80 ml) red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon dried oregano
2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45ml) juice from pepperoncini jar (optional)
½ cup (120 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
1Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until tender, 6 to 10 minutes (check the package for recommended cook time). Drain and rinse well under cold water.
2While the pasta cooks, make the dressing in the bottom of a large bowl. Whisk together the red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, oregano, and pepperoncini juice (if using), then whisk in the olive oil until blended. Add the drained and rinsed pasta to the dressing and mix well.
3Stir in the bell pepper, zucchini, tomatoes, scallions, pepperoncini (if using), olives, parmesan, mozzarella, and herbs. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately, or for the best flavor, cover and refrigerate for at least ½ hour and up to 5 days.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- You can make this pasta salad and keep it in the fridge for up 5 days.
- The extra time allows the flavors of the pasta, veggies, and dressing to meld. We like making this salad the day before serving. Our best tip: We save a bit of the dressing separately in the fridge. Then, just before serving, we toss in the reserved dressing to refresh the salad.
- Zucchini is a little odd, but it works so well in this salad. It softens over time in the dressing (which we love). If you are new to raw zucchini in salads, see our lemon herb zucchini salad for another example.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Most delicious pasta salad i’ve made!! Thank you. We added some honey to the dressing to counteract the acidity but other than that it was perfect. The raw zucchini surprised us all.
I am making this for a party tomorrow and find I have half the quantity needed of wine vinegar, but have some cider vinegar. Could I mix them. Your advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Liz xxxo
Apple cider vinegar will add a slightly different flavor but it should work nicely. Have fun at your party 🙂
This recipe is becoming my go-to for events lately! Super fresh and light plus keeps well for days. I like to add a bit of roasted garlic powder, Kinders Buttery Garlic And Herb seasoning, and a can of quartered artichokes. Recently put some baby corn by request, and I was surprised how much people actually were enjoying and commenting on it (I know it sounds corny *ba dum tss* but it’s true). 5-star recipe from my taste buds!
This recipe is a hit every time I make it. I add a bit of maple syrup for a touch of sweetness. Otherwise I stick to the recipe.
Absolutely loved this recipe. Alone fabulous! I did make marinated grilled chicken, diced it and put in on top. So so good! This will be my go to pasta salad.
We really liked the recipe and have made it twice recently! We need a low sodium version of this pasta salad. How can we reduce the sodium?
Your best bet is to use a low salt alternative for the dressing.
This is my go-to summer pasta salad. Great for picnics and barbecues. Especially love looking for the fresh veggies at local farmer’s markets. Fun and easy to to put together. I make the evening before and refrigerate to allow flavors to meld. Fantastic recipes from this site! Thank-you!!
Most pasta now are sold as 3/4 of a pound not a pound. This seemed ideal for the amount of dressing. I also wanted more crunch so I added about a half a cup of celery. Today I added half a cup of seedless cucumber as well. I’ve made this now five times which is five times more than I’ve made pasta salad in the last 5 years. The parmesan and mozzarella fresh cheese really make it great!
You are so welcome! We are thrilled that you love the recipe 🙂
I make this pasta salad every summer when we go to the lake. It is a huge hit and we love that
it is not mayonnaise based. Very popular with our extended family. Definitely suggest you try it!
Delicious! First time I made a dressing. I added uncured salami. Healthy and chock full of veggies.
I’ve been looking for a pasta salad to make at home, and I hit gold with this recipe! The flavours are fantastic. I used white wine vinegar and omitted the olives, but it was still really good. I couldn’t stop eating it. Thank you for this recipe!
Great Pasta salad!
This is wonderful! We are so happy you found us, Ellie.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME ?!!! This was soooo good even my kids were asking for seconds
The best comment! So happy you all enjoyed it!
Hi, I’m sorry but I can’t go along with all the 5 star reviews. I used the full pound of pasta, and it absolutely overwhelms the add-ins. Wish I’d only used half the pasta amount. I added more salt & pepper, garlic salt and a splash of Italian dressing to try and liven up the flavor but it’s still pretty bland. Followed the recipe to a T and added the banana pepper brine, but still just blah. Plus it made enough feed the whol block.. not good, when I’m having a get together for 10 people! Thanks anyways, and I’m glad it turned out for so many others.
Hi Carol, We are sorry the salad didn’t meet expectations. This is a family favorite so it’s a pity you didn’t enjoy it, but we all have different tastes 🙂 I wonder if adding some fresh herbs next time would do the trick?
Made this for a party this evening… followed the recipe (as much as I possibly can)… Used white wine vingegar and left the olives out because we have picky, limited friends. The salad is really tasty – its my new go-to pasta salad. Added some garlic, and peprocinis ( a few) and will add more when making it for just us! Thanks for this recipe!!!!
This was such a tasty, quick meal to throw together mid-week when this busy mama is losing steam! I’ve never eaten zucchini raw before but my word, did she not lie about adding it to the salad! It was my favorite part! I sent this recipe to all of my friends. It’s a great way to get the veggies in!
I made this for a big group and everybody loved it. So many people asked for the recipet Easy to make and great salad to make for a party!
I made this pasta salad and it was a hit with family and friends! I used Italian bottled dressing, and it was delicious! Will definitely be making this again!
Made the pasta salad, did not change anything. Guests like it at the barbecue. Thank you.
That’s wonderful, April!
Great wee recipe, I would say one thing though, Italians never rinse the pasta after cooking 😁
I almost never rinse pasta, unless I’m making a cold salad like this one. I find rinsing removes the starch and keeps the salad lighter on its feet (that same starch is exactly what you want, though, for hot pasta dishes!).
Great recipe, the second time I made it I added 3 squeezed lemons and used avacodo oil instead of olive oil
This has been our go to since spring. Today, the 4th time I have made it I added a heaping half TBS of smoky praprika (Trader Joes) to the dressing. It really amped it up. Great recipe, we love it.
This is sooooooo good I made two massive batch’s
This is the best pasta salad I’ve ever had! I was skeptical of adding pepperoncini juice to the dressing but it’s genius. The first time I used 2 tablespoons. The second time I used 3 – so much better with 3! I used medium pepperocinis to give it a little kick. I cut the pasta in half for a smaller dish but pretty much did everything else the same. I also left out the mozzarella and fresh herbs since I didn’t have any on hand but might try adding them in the future. I’ll never go back to buying store-made or boxed versions.
This is such a great tasting pasta salad! 👍Even though it’s got pasta, (I have stayed away for years to lose weight), all the fresh veggies and herbs allow me to eat it conscience free. I too add pepperoni for a bad-boy zip/zing. I could eat this 3 times a day all week. Maybe I’ll cancel my guests tomorrow and it it all myself. 🤔 Thank you.
I have made this three times in three weeks I get so many compliments and rave reviews. I made it exactly as listed. Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe.
I make this recipe anytime I’m having friends over for a pool party. It’s now known as “Kaely’s pasta salad” I make it so much. I season it up but the basic ingredients are there. Definitely better if you let it sit overnight and add more vinegar and olive oil before serving. I love it because I can leave it out for a couple hours during a party and don’t have to worry about food borne illness.
Just finised using the receipe! Hope it’s good. I didn’t use the prepicini, could not find in guadalajara Mexico
This is now my go-to pasta salad recipe. I live in Mexico and have adapted the recipe to use ingredients that are readily available here: Mexican cheeses (asadero for mozzarella, cotija for parmesan), pickled güero chiles (banana peppers) vs. peperoncini, and added dried cilantro in the dressing. The recipe makes a ton, is suitable for vegetarians, and is always a huge hit at parties.
I hope this is a forgiving salad as I am from Australia and have no idea of your cup measurements. I would love it if all recipes were in grams and mls as they don’t change from country to country. Will still give it a go as it sounds yummy.
Perfect recipe, my compliments! I added garlic powder, crushed red peppers, and paprika for some zest, as well as bacon bits, so my boyfriend would like it 😉
I’ve never been a big pasta salad person, mainly because it’s always been grocery store or deli made, yuk. My wife bought a bunch of pasta at Sam’s the other day so I went recipe hunting online. Yours was the first I decided to check out. The ingredients looked good so I tossed it together, used our garden basil and green onions as well as our oregano. It is spectacular! We can’t stop eating it. Every family member or friend coming for a meal here, is going to get it, it’s just that good. Thank you!
Wow, Robert! Thanks for trusting us and our recipe. So happy it turned out so well!
This is my first stab at making a cold pasta salad. The dressing turned out great. My father was even impressed. Thank you for the tips and guidelines. I’ll be adding this to my main cookbook.
Made tonight for dinner. It was so good the only thing I added was feta cheese. Yummy.
This is a great salad base (make subs as you like, and I did) with a fab dressing! I usually buy a bottled dressing for pasta salad, but make all others from scratch. Which kinda made me scratch my head as to why I was buying this one dressing. Love this simple recipe and the addition of the pepperoncini juice! Will absolutely be making this again. Thank you!
Another awesome recipe.. my favorite is this salad with ribs. Oh so good. I do not enjoy olives so usually don’t: include them. I do like to include. Some type of bread, muffins or everything bagels. Mmmmmmm
Glad you enjoyed it, Donna! Thanks for coming back!
Has anyone tried this recipe with sherry vinegar? Or a mix of red wine and sherry vinegar?
I made this recipe today – to be eaten tomorrow. But it already tastes great. I switched up a few things: I use l ight balsamic vinegar, and instead of mozzarella I used crumbled feta. I found the ratio of olive oil to vinegar a bit oily so I cut back as I was whisking, then added another splash of balsamic vinegar. The balsamic is nicely sweet. With your measurements of pasta/veg this salad would easily feed 10 as a side dish. Thanks.